Free dining

[Allison]

I believe what I said before is accurate-A reservation CM does not have the information to know in February that there will be no more free dining offered the rest of the year. Maybe it won't, maybe it will. It's going to depend on whether rooms need to be filled and if there are other promotions Disney comes up with.

Disney has said they want to cut down on promotions but that seems contrary to what they have actually done this year. Guess we will have to wait and see.

I'm always cautious of statement like that made my CM's. They have quite the reputation for giving out incorrect information.

 

[MelissathePooh]

I believe what I said before is accurate-A reservation CM does not have the information to know in February that there will be no more free dining offered the rest of the year. Maybe it won't, maybe it will. It's going to depend on whether rooms need to be filled and if there are other promotions Disney comes up with.

Disney has said they want to cut down on promotions but that seems contrary to what they have actually done this year. Guess we will have to wait and see.

I'm always cautious of statement like that made my CM's. They have quite the reputation for giving out incorrect information.

No not usually a year in advance, but weeks to months depending on the promotion. Weeks, months or a year is irrelevant anyway - CM's aren't allowed to release information before Disney does officially. They couldn't tell you anything over the phone anyway. All I know is what my mom had access to the 3 years she worked for DRC. She hasn't been there for over a year now. Who knows.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Except that its announced to them prior to being publically released as they have to prepare for the new code/pin or whatever. May have changed, but when my mom worked at DRC she always knew what was coming at least week or so before it was released.

Well, how do you account for all the people that call on the day a public code is announced and the CMs on the line don't know what you are talking about. That exact thing has happened to me twice when I have called to add a free dining code. The CM acted like they didn't know what I was talking about and then applied the code and said, "what do you know, it worked!" There have been tons of posts on here about that exact thing happening, especially on the day a general public code/discount is released. I feels like "luck of the draw" when you call Disney Reservations - some are so helpful and all-knowing, others don't seem to have a clue.

 

[Allison]

Well, how do you account for all the people that call on the day a public code is announced and the CMs on the line don't know what you are talking about. That exact thing has happened to me twice when I have called to add a free dining code. The CM acted like they didn't know what I was talking about and then applied the code and said, "what do you know, it worked!" There have been tons of posts on here about that exact thing happening, especially on the day a general public code/discount is released. I feels like "luck of the draw" when you call Disney Reservations - some are so helpful and all-knowing, others don't seem to have a clue.

Exactly.

 

[Allison]

They couldn't tell you anything over the phone anyway.

But the OP said the CM did say there wouldn't be any free dining offered. So, they did tell something over the phone. Something that could very well be wrong.

 

[Missytara]

Yes, if a free dining discount is released later this year, you can call and add it to your existing reservation. Disney Reservations will modify your reservation will no problem and add the fd discount and credit you the difference.

Not necessarily. You may have to switch resorts. There are only so many rooms with each promotion at each resort. If the discounted rooms or free dining is already sold out at your resort, you may have to choose to go to another resort to snag that discount.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Not necessarily. You may have to switch resorts. There are only so many rooms with each promotion at each resort. If the discounted rooms or free dining is already sold out at your resort, you may have to choose to go to another resort to snag that discount.

We've gone on no less than 6 free dining trips and even if you have to switch resorts, which is highly unlikely if you call when the code is released, there will be not issue in adding the code to your existing reservation. I had to switch from ASMo to POP for FD in 2007 and they added the the code, switched our resort and everything was fine, our reservation number stayed the same. It's not a big deal at all.

 

[MelissathePooh]

Well, how do you account for all the people that call on the day a public code is announced and the CMs on the line don't know what you are talking about. That exact thing has happened to me twice when I have called to add a free dining code. The CM acted like they didn't know what I was talking about and then applied the code and said, "what do you know, it worked!" There have been tons of posts on here about that exact thing happening, especially on the day a general public code/discount is released. I feels like "luck of the draw" when you call Disney Reservations - some are so helpful and all-knowing, others don't seem to have a clue.

Because some CM's are more diligent than others - some are thrown onto the call floor without much training. Some care, some don't. Its a rough job. There is extrememly high turnover at DRC. Some CM's don't want to bother with hunting codes for cheap stays or researching/making modifications for people that call every day and waste the CM's time. Mysteriously people report their DRC phone calls get disconnected or basically they get frustrated enough to hang up and call back to try someone different. Its obviously frowned upon and Disney did a pretty big cleaning house not long ago, but most people don't last a year at DRC. The ones that do (like my mom) who pay attention and do the job honestly and diligently know whats going on.

As to why the CM saying there were no other promotions - that's because right now there are no other promotions. But they cannot tell you if there are plans for a new promotion or when it will start. Why on earth would they? They work on sales based revenue goals (at least they did when my mom was there). DRC CM's want you to pay the absolute highest possible rate for everything and then upgrade it. They aren't going to tell someone to wait a week and call back - they want you to book right then and there and pay the deposit as that is the only way they get credit towards their goals. Credit doesn't hit until the deposit is paid.

DRC CM's have hourly revenue/sales goals to reach. It doesn't matter what option you select when you call in - that's for Disney's marketing purposes - all the calls go to the same room full of desks. Except Grand Gatherings calls do go to another group. They're not going to tell you, they aren't allowed to leak promotions.

I'll admit I am particularly defensive about DRC as I lived through 3 years of my mother loving and hating her job at the same time. She loved making people's Disney dreams come true. She hated the constant stress of try to comply with all of Disney's numerous rules and still meet her revenue goals. She was one of the ones who did ask for all the names and addresses everytime to make sure the system was accurate - to try and clean up the system, etc... After 3 years of stressing about being "in the green, the yellow or the red" she had too many reds and lost her job. CM's who hang up on non-revenue calls or just rebook packages instead of modifying or don't bother to update the system with correct info - can make it a lot longer.

But yes, my mother knew well in advance about promotions. I have a message still in my Dis inbox of where I shamefully leaked it to someone. Again this was a little over a year ago, things may have changed. Rusty Scupper works at DRC now (I'm almost certain). I don't know what he could confirm or debunk based on what he's allowed to say. He's confirmed time and time again that DRC CM's have hourly revenue goals to make and people still don't believe it. I'm really not trying to be argumentative.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Because some CM's are more diligent than others - some are thrown onto the call floor without much training. Some care, some don't. Its a rough job. There is extrememly high turnover at DRC. Some CM's don't want to bother with hunting codes for cheap stays or researching/making modifications for people that call every day and waste the CM's time. Mysteriously people report their DRC phone calls get disconnected or basically they get frustrated enough to hang up and call back to try someone different. Its obviously frowned upon and Disney did a pretty big cleaning house not long ago, but most people don't last a year at DRC. The ones that do (like my mom) who pay attention and do the job honestly and diligently know whats going on.

As to why the CM saying there were no other promotions - that's because right now there are no other promotions. But they cannot tell you if there are plans for a new promotion or when it will start. Why on earth would they? They work on sales based revenue goals (at least they did when my mom was there). DRC CM's want you to pay the absolute highest possible rate for everything and then upgrade it. They aren't going to tell someone to wait a week and call back - they want you to book right then and there and pay the deposit as that is the only way they get credit towards their goals. Credit doesn't hit until the deposit is paid.

DRC CM's have hourly revenue/sales goals to reach. It doesn't matter what option you select when you call in - that's for Disney's marketing purposes - all the calls go to the same room full of desks. Except Grand Gatherings calls do go to another group. They're not going to tell you, they aren't allowed to leak promotions.

I'll admit I am particularly defensive about DRC as I lived through 3 years of my mother loving and hating her job at the same time. She loved making people's Disney dreams come true. She hated the constant stress of try to comply with all of Disney's numerous rules and still meet her revenue goals. She was one of the ones who did ask for all the names and addresses everytime to make sure the system was accurate - to try and clean up the system, etc... After 3 years of stressing about being "in the green, the yellow or the red" she had too many reds and lost her job. CM's who hang up on non-revenue calls or just rebook packages instead of modifying or don't bother to update the system with correct info - can make it a lot longer.

But yes, my mother knew well in advance about promotions. I have a message still in my Dis inbox of where I shamefully leaked it to someone. Again this was a little over a year ago, things may have changed. Rusty Scupper works at DRC now (I'm almost certain). I don't know what he could confirm or debunk based on what he's allowed to say. He's confirmed time and time again that DRC CM's have hourly revenue goals to make and people still don't believe it. I'm really not trying to be argumentative.

My question/response was somewhat rhetorical. People that have been around the Dis for any length of time pretty much already know all of what you said, but you did confirm it - Many CMs in Disney Reservations don't know what they are talking about. If you don't get a friendly and/or helpful CM, just hang up and call back, odds are you'll get someone who can help you out.

 

[Goofy22]

I don't know how true but I hear March 1st that Free dining will be announced although I heard it was QSDP also! So keep your EYES and Ears peeled on here after Midnight and Early Tommorrow to see if it happens. I read this on another thread!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I don't know how true but I hear March 1st that Free dining will be announced although I heard it was QSDP also! So keep your EYES and Ears peeled on here after Midnight and Early Tommorrow to see if it happens. I read this on another thread!

Nothing will be confirmed until 8:00 a.m. EST when the Disney Reservations phone lines open up. I will be HIGHLY surprised if there is a general public code tomorrow. I would love it, but IF anything is released, I would say it is name-specific pin codes. I guess we shall see. . . .. .

 

[disney11fan]

get some rest check back april 1